Lakshmipur:Fisheries Department and Coast Guard personnel carried out separate operations, resulting in fines for 11 fishermen for catching hilsha in the Meghna River in Raipur upazila of Lakshmipur and four traders for selling mother hilsha at fish wholesale markets in Sadar upazila of Narayanganj, violating the government-imposed ban.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, in Lakshmipur, a mobile court fined 11 fishermen Taka 2,000 each, amounting to a total of Taka 22,000. One of the fishermen, being a minor, was released into the custody of his guardian after a bond was furnished. The operation was conducted on the Meghna River, and the confiscated nets were destroyed at Saju Molla's fish landing station.
The drive in Lakshmipur was led by Lakshmipur Upazila Senior Fisheries Officer Md Mahfuzul Hasnain, with the assistance of the Coast Guard, police, and members of the Upazila Fisheries Department.
In Narayanganj, authorities seized 120 kilograms of mother hilsha and 11 kilograms of banned piranha fish during operations at various fish wholesale markets in the district's Sadar upazila. A mobile court fined four traders a total of Taka 5,000 for illegally selling the fish.
The mobile court was conducted at Khanpur Bazar and Talla Bhai Bhai Bazar as part of the 'Mother Hilsa Conservation Campaign', led by Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate of the Narayanganj Deputy Commissioner's Office, Suha Tabil.
District Fisheries Officer Dr. Ayesha Siddika stated that regular mobile courts and monitoring drives will be ongoing throughout the district to enforce the fishing ban.